WesterwaldSteig 2nd Stage Breitscheid - Rehe (East-West)

Description

Where good clay prevailed, stones tell of bards and heretics and the wind searches for the expanse

Strange names accompany your path. In Breitscheid, you hear of potters, who are also called Kannenbäcker and Euler elsewhere in the Westerwald. The clay is the region's white gold, and the pottery craft flourished here for several hundred years. The potters have disappeared, but the pottery museum lets you dive into the artful history of its inhabitants. Wet meadows and plateaus with small spruce forests and windbreak strips let you feel the great expanse. For the fire of the Siegerland ironworks, forests once fell here. Wide land emerged, and the wind still likes the area today. From Bartenstein, you enjoy the distant view and marvel at the mystical rocks. Strange stories from ancient times tell of a Celtic bard and sacrificial stones, also of the ravens, the Germanic gods' birds that once circled here and gave the village Rabenscheid its name. Wonderful encounters with wonderful nature that touch you and let you breathe deeply. You sniff into the landscape that invites you to refreshing swimming at Heisterberger Weiher, continue hiking over valuable nature conservation areas like Bermershube up to the Fuchskaute - at 657 m the highest elevation of the Westerwald. You discover the golden-yellow blossoms of the medicinal arnica plant, smell the spicy spruce forests, and follow the caresses of the wind, which at this highest point strokes the grasses of the wildflower meadows as lovingly as you yourself. Here the seasons are still pronounced. Spring comes later than elsewhere, summer is especially close to the sun here, and in some colorful autumn leaves, early snowflakes mix in, which can create true winter fairy tales up here. You don't want to wait for the first snow and so you let yourself go on the gentle descent to Rehe. Once again, not only the landscape but also your heart opens up. Great nature for lasting impressions.

Approach

Via B255 to the Breitscheid exit; within the town: Kirchstraße

Public transport

Arrival by public transport

Bus from Herborn to the stop Breitscheid Rathaus: bus line 510 (Monday to Saturday, travel time: approx. 30 minutes)

Return to the stage start

There is no direct bus connection from Rehe back to Breitscheid. Taxi recommended!

Taxi recommendation:

Taxi Mehl, Herborn, tel. 02772/3071 or 3754
Taxi Große: Rennerod, tel. 02664/99 22 21

Here you can find hiking tour tips with bus and train connections.

Parking

Breitscheid: above the church (Kirchstr. 27-29), 35767 Breitscheid
Rehe: Rathausstraße, 56479 Rehe

Directions

The WesterwaldSteig passes the 14th-century church and the cemetery with a charming chapel, leading up to the Catholic parish church from the 1960s. The path leaves Breitscheid heading towards the airfield and its inn. The clay soils and waterlogging in the hollows made agricultural use nearly impossible in this area. Thus, small spruce forests, windbreak strips, and large meadows shape the landscape of the High Westerwald. After the WesterwaldSteig crosses the forest ridge on slightly uneven terrain, you look right across the field to the village of Rabenscheid. In the distance, the first wind turbines near the Fuchskaute already appear. But initially, the WesterwaldSteig disappears through the forest over roots and stones, crosses a clearing, then goes back into the bushes until it finally crosses the country road to Heisterberg. The Höllberg with its transmission mast, which will accompany the route on the left for a while, now comes into view. Descending downhill across a damp meadow, you reach the Heisterberger Weiher. Especially in summer, its shores fill with people who come to swim or rent a boat for a joyride on the water. There is also a modern, year-round campsite with sanitary facilities (accessible for disabled persons), a playground and volleyball court, kiosk, and inn. At Heisterberger Weiher, you meet the Amdorfbach again. The WesterwaldSteig follows along the lake shore up to the road to Heisterberg. The landscape around the Fuchskaute is characterized by protective hedges and blooming meadows. The first wind turbines hum their song to the hiker while the village of Waldaubach appears in the valley on the right. After a short stretch through the forest and almost unnoticed, the highest elevation of the Westerwald at 657 meters is reached by a gentle ascent. Wide views over pastureland and descents in the spruce forest accompany you. After the spruce forest, the view soon opens again to wide land. The trail runs almost flat past the outskirts of Homberg, then once again leads down a narrow path to the Christian guest center with its café in the green. Just before, it turns right into the forest along the Rehbach, soon left again and right again following the Rehbach through the forest. The trail bypasses an industrial area and comes back to the creek at the Brandweiher. Now you pass a playground, reach the Bergstraße, and from there your destination on Rathausstraße.

Access paths (marking: green W on yellow background):

• from Heisterberger Weiher to Driedorf (approx. 3.2 km)
• from the B414 south of Waldaubach into the village (approx. 0.6 km)
• from Rehbach to the Café in the Green in Rehe (approx. 0.3 km)

Safety instructions

If you think certain sections of the path are impassable for you, you should avoid them. Especially during adverse weather conditions, natural trails may become muddy and slippery in places.

In autumn, special attention should be paid to fallen leaves on the ground that can conceal unevenness, roots, stones, or holes in the path. You should expect such path impairments when hiking.

Although the trail is very well marked throughout, for safety reasons you should always carry a suitable hiking map or download the free app "Experience Rhineland-Palatinate" .

Equipment

Wear sturdy footwear and weather-appropriate, functional clothing that protects against cold and damp as well as heat and sun.

Take enough fluids with you. Refreshment options are not available everywhere.

Please wear hiking boots suitable for the path that provide adequate support even on slippery and steep or rocky and uneven trails.

Tips

New marble run in Rehe at the ABUS company right on the trail! You can get the wooden marbles on site from a vending machine. Great fun for young and old!

Literature

WesterwaldSteig fold-out hiking map at a scale of 1:25,000

Order at www.westerwald-shop.info.

Destination

Rehe, Town Hall

Starting Point

Breitscheid, Protestant Church